What are the Vegas odds on a Nissan SUV driving into the wing of a small aircraft that was forced to make an emergency landing on a highway? No matter how low they were, it happened this weekend.
According to the Nevada State Highway Patrol, a small personal aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on US95 at Lee Canyon in Nevada after suffering mechanical issues in the air. The plane landed and eventually came to a stop on the left shoulder of the highway at around 9:40 a.m.
Speaking to KRQE News, a witness said that the occupants of the airplane were uninjured in the landing and were both able to get out of the plane without issue. The witness was Kevin King of North Las Vegas, who was also flying with an instructor pilot at the time of the incident.
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Nevada State Police
They were told by flight control to fly over the scene of the landing to make sure the two people involved in the accident (another pair made up of a pilot and an instructor pilot) were okay. They managed to make radio contact with the grounded pilots, who said they were okay and were standing behind the right wing of the aircraft, a two-seater DA20.
Unfortunately, however, about five to 10 minutes later, the driver of a passing Nissan SUV struck the left wing of the airplane, causing the whole aircraft to kick back and hit the two people. Both pilots, as well as the driver, were sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
King said that the driver of the Nissan was driving fast, and photos show its windshield completely broken, with a hole in it. He added, though, that several vehicles were capable of passing the plane on the highway without incident. Police said they were investigating the accident.
The collision serves as a reminder to road users to stand well back when they are stranded on the shoulder after an incident, because drivers can miss even the most obvious of warning signs.